Will Wolf Warriors 2 ($769m+) top The Force Awakens ($937m)?

JSparksFan wrote:Great to see Beauty and the Beast doing so well! I didn't expect it to top Potter's opening week, but I guess the classic pull put it over the top. I should probably get around to seeing it soon.

You should. The songs are great. And everyone did well on their parts. It is a great movie. The best one that started as an animated movie.

JSparksFan wrote:Great to see Beauty and the Beast doing so well! I didn't expect it to top Potter's opening week, but I guess the classic pull put it over the top. I should probably get around to seeing it soon.

You should. The songs are great. And everyone did well on their parts. It is a great movie. The best one that started as an animated movie.

Yeah, anyone who likes the original, will love this one. It's absolutely amazing. Electric form beginning to end.

Beauty and the Beast, Disney's live-action remake of the classic 1991 animated film, continued to make history in its second weekend, declining a scant 49 percent to an estimated $88 million from 4,210 locations, the fourth-biggest sophomore outing of all time. And its North American cume of $317 million is the fourth-biggest 10-day total in history. Overseas, Beauty likewise stayed atop the chart, grossing $119.2 million for a foreign tally of $373.3 million and $690.3 million globally.

Lionsgate and Saban's male-fueled Power Rangers, an edgier adaptation of the kids TV show produced by Haim Saban that began airing in the early 1990s, also succeeded in pulling on the heartstrings of those growing up on the series. The movie, rated PG-13, grossed a better-than-expected $40.5 million from 3,693 North American theaters, thanks to a strong turnout by millennials and following a successful and lengthy marketing campaign. Power Rangers also broke ground by being the first big-budget studio film to feature a superhero who questions whether or not they are gay.

"We knew that if this was going to work for us, we would need to get older audiences and not just kids because of the nostalgia factor," said Lionsgate distribution chief David Spitz. "It is such a beloved property."

Thanks to March releases Beauty, Logan and Kong: Skull Island — and now Power Rangers, among other titles — revenue for the month has crossed $1 billion for the first time ever at the domestic box office, eclipsing last year's record-setting March haul of $948.8 billion.

Power Rangers cost $100 million to make, so it will need to continue to do strong business around the globe. Facing fierce competition abroad from Beauty and other titles, the pic opened to a muted $18.7 million internationally from 62 markets for a global bow of $59.2 million. Rangers hopes to do big business in Japan — the franchise is based on a Japanese TV show — where it doesn't open until July.

Directed by Dean Israelite, Power Rangers follows five teens (Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Ludi Lin and Becky G) in a small town who discover artifacts that allow them to morph into crime-fighting heroes called The Power Rangers. They are tasked with learning to use their new skills in order to save their town from destruction by a power-hungry villain (Elizabeth Banks). Bryan Cranston also stars.

Nostalgia didn't help Warner Bros.' CHIPS, an R-rated take on the buddy-cop TV series about two California Highway Patrol officers that debuted in the late 1970s. The film opened to a dismal $7.6 million from 2,464 theaters for a seventh-place finish. Overseas, it likewise ran out of gas with $1.9 million from 31 territories.

Dax Shepard both directs and stars with Michael Pena in the action-comedy, which was skewered by critics and audiences alike (it earned a B- CinemaScore). CHIPS cost a more modest $25 million to produce.

The weekend's new original offering, Sony/Skydance's Life, fared better with an estimated $12.6 million from 3,146 locations, but is still a major disappointment.

The space horror-thriller, which stars Jack Gyllenhaal, follows a group of scientists on the International Space Station that discover a rapidly evolving lifeform that threatens the crew and all life on Earth. Ryan Reynolds and Rebecca Ferguson also star in the pic, which received solid reviews only to earn a dismal C+ CinemaScore from moviegoers. Skydance financed a majority of the $58 million budget.

Directed by Daniel Espinosa, Life placed No. 4 in North America behind Beauty, Power Rangers and holdover Kong: Skull Island. In its offshore debut, the film earned $16.1 million from 56 markets for a worldwide total of $28.7 million.

"We are incredibly proud of this film," said Sony distribution chief Rory Bruer.

Despite CHIPS, Warner Bros. had reason to celebrate this weekend. Overseas, Legendary and Warners' Kong: Skull Island roared to $93 million, thanks to a China debut of $72.1 million. The big-budget movie has now grossed $392.1 million globally.

This is one of those rare weekends where three films are all pulling in impressive numbers.

Power Rangers beat the odds and opened with $40m in a crowded marketplace.

Kong: Skull Island opened with $72m in China, one of the biggest weekends of all-time in that market.

But most impressive of all: Beauty and the Beast followed the 7th biggest opening of all-time ($174m) with the 4th biggest second weekend of all-time ($88m) and biggest second weekend EVER for a family film. I think a $500m US gross is probably the floor now.

Additionally, Beauty is already the highest grossing film of the year ($690m) after just 10 days. And it will probably wind up as the second or third biggest when the year is done.

Last edited by Theodorerichert on Sun Mar 26, 2017 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Elsewhere, 'Beauty and the Beast' holds at No. 2 as it prepares to waltz past the $1 billion mark globally; 'Going in Style,' catering to older adults, opens ahead of expectations.

In another blow for Sony, Smurfs: The Lost Village bombed in its North American debut over the weekend with an estimated $14 million from 3,610 theaters, one of the worst starts in recent memory for an animated offering from a major Hollywood studio.

Smurfs 3 was undone by a pair of hearty family holdovers, DreamWorks Animation/Fox's The Boss Baby and Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Boss Baby — voiced by Alec Baldwin, who is making headlines for his impersonation of President Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live and his new book — stayed atop the chart in its second weekend, falling 48 percent to $26.3 million for a pleasing domestic total of $89.4 million. The movie also bossed around Smurfs overseas, collecting $37.5 million from 46 markets for a foreign tally of $110.4 million and a cume just shy of $200 million worldwide.

Now in its fourth weekend, Beauty and the Beast followed at No. 2 in North America with $25 million for a domestic tally of $432.3 million. The live-action fairy tale is days away from topping the $1 billion worldwide mark after finishing Sunday with a dazzling global haul of $977.4 million. Beauty is winding down its run internationally, where it earned $36.1 million for the weekend.

Smurfs: The Lost Village, which bowed at No. 3 domestically, was intended to reinvigorate the franchise after Smurfs 2 earned $347.5 million worldwide in 2013, which was far less than the $563.7 million scored by The Smurfs in 2011 (the first two titles were CGI/live-action hybrids).

Lost Village, costing a relatively modest $60 million to make, will have to do big business overseas if Sony is to get its wish and make more installments. So far, the pic is having a tough time offshore, where it took in another $22 million from 58 markets over the weekend for a foreign cume of $42.1 million and $56.1 million globally (it opened early internationally).

Sony maintains that Lost Village, which nabbed an A CinemaScore, can still find its way and serve as counter-programming to goliath The Fate of the Furious, which is set to launch Friday over Easter weekend.

"[Lost Village] opened in a realm that was acceptable to us," said Sony distribution chief Rory Bruer. "Between an A+ CinemaScore from those under 18 and heading into Easter week, we think it has real opportunity. The movie was made for less than half the last one, and we anticipate it being profitable."

The new Smurfs installment centers on a mysterious map that sets Smurfette (Demi Lovato) and her friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on a race through the Forbidden Forest, leading to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history. Rainn Wilson, Joe Manganiello and Jack McBrayer are among the voice cast and Kelly Asbury (Gnomeo & Juliet) directed.

In a surprise twist, Village Roadshow and Warner Bros.' Going in Style — catering to the elderly set — came in well ahead of expectations with a $12.5 million bow at No. 4. More than 70 percent of the audience was over the age of 50.

Directed by Zach Braff, the $25 million movie, which received a B+ CinemaScore. is a remake of the 1979 heist film and stars Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin as three retirees who decide to rob a bank when their pensions go belly-up. Ann-Margret and Matt Dillon also star in the pic, which had been expected to open to only $8 million.

"The chemistry between these actors is incredible," said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution at New Line parent studio Warner Bros.

The weekend's third new nationwide offering, Pure Flix Films' The Case for Christ, placed No. 10 with just $3.9 million. The faith-based drama tells the real-life story of a self-avowed atheist and journalist who sets out to disprove his wife's newfound Christian faith. The movie, which earned an A+ CinemaScore, stars Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen, Faye Dunaway and Robert Forster.

Elsewhere in the top 10, Paramount's troubled Ghost in the Shell, starring Scarlett Johansson and based on the popular Japanese manga series, tumbled 61 percent in its second weekend to $7.4 million for a disappointing 10-day domestic tally of $31.6 million.

The sci-fi action pic, which has been dogged by controversy for not casting an Asian star in the central role, is faring better overseas, where it topped the foreign chart with $41.1 million from 54 markets after opening to $21.4 million in China. That puts the movie's foreign tally at $92.5 million for a global cume of $124.1 million, still not enough considering Ghost in the Shell cost $110 million to make before marketing.

And despite a major marketing push in Japan, the film opened in second place with $3.2 million.

At the specialty box office, Niki Caro's The Zookeeper's Wife expanded into a total of 804 theaters after a limited debut last weekend. The Focus Features war drama, starring Jessica Chastain, grossed a muted $2.9 million for a 10-day domestic total of $7.6 million.

Colossal, starring Anne Hathaway as a woman who battles a Godzilla-like creature in South Korea, opened in four theaters in New York and Los Angeles, grossing $125,809 for a screen average of $31,452, the best of the weekend. The independent film marks the first release from Neon, the distribution company launched by former Radius-TWC co-chief Tomas Quinn and Alamo Drafthouse founder Tim League.

Fox Searchlight opted for a bigger footprint for Gifted, directed by Marc Webb and starring Chris Evans, Mckenna Grace and Octavia Spencer. Rolling out in 56 locations, the drama opened to $476,000.

EuropaCorp and STX Entertainment's critically acclaimed British romantic comedy Their Finest, starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin and Bill Nighy, debuted to $77,000 from four theaters in L.A. and New York for a screen average of $19,250.

The Hollywood Reporter wrote:Box-Office Preview: 'Fate of the Furious' Revs Engines for $110M-Plus U.S. Debut

The eighth outing in Universal's male-fueled action franchise is also fated to do huge business overseas, where it begins rolling out Wednesday.

Get ready for an octane-laced weekend at the box office.

Universal's The Fate of the Furious — the eighth outing in the male-fueled action franchise — is projected to earn $110 million or more in its North American debut and north of $350 million globally. The last film, Furious 7, launched to a record-shattering $147.2 million domestically and $397 million globally in April 2015 following the tragic death of series lead Paul Walker.

All agree that Furious 7's rousing start was fueled by those wanting to see the final title starring Walker, who died in a violent car crash in November 2013 during a hiatus from shooting.

Fate of the Furious could easily outperform prerelease tracking and has a shot at matching Furious 7's global debut, thanks to China, where it opens this weekend. Furious 7 debuted to $182 million in the Middle Kingdom on its way to earning $390 million.

The movie currently boasts an 80 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, a franchise best after Furious 7 (79 percent).

Fate of the Furious begins racing out the gate Wednesday in a handful of foreign marks, followed by another wave Thursday. On Friday, it opens everywhere in North America, where it will get a berth in 304 theaters, the widest footprint in history for a non-summer tentpole.

The story follows a villainous superhacker (Theron) who turns Diesel's character against his crew.

Heralded for their diverse casts and globe-trotting storylines, the Fast and Furious movies have collectively grossed more than $3.9 billion globally. Furious 7 was far and away the biggest earner and the only installment to cross $1 billion on its way to finishing its worldwide run with $1.516 billion.

Fate of the Furious certainly spooked the competition — there is no other movie opening nationwide this weekend.

The Hollywood Reporter wrote:Box Office: 'Fate of the Furious' Nabs $100.2M in U.S. for Record $532.5M Global Start

Thanks to an all-time best China launch of $190 million, the eighth installment in the popular franchise surpassed the previous worldwide record launch of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens.'

Universal's Fast and the Furious franchise is showing no signs of running out of gas on the world stage.

The Fate of the Furious, directed by F. Gary Gray, raced to an estimated $532.5 million global debut over Easter weekend, including $100.2 million domestically and a $432.2 million overseas.

If those estimates hold when final numbers are tallied early Monday, Furious 8 will eclipse Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($529 million) to boast the biggest worldwide opening of all time. Either way, it is assured of scoring the top international launch of all time, surpassing fellow Universal title Jurassic World ($316.7 million).

Furious 8 had the advantage of opening day-and-date in China, where it earned a massive $190 million, the biggest three-day bow in history. Overall, the tentpole debuted at No. 1 in all 63 foreign markets, and it did more business than any previous installment in 32 of those.

In North America, Furious 8 scored the second-biggest launch of the franchise behind Furious 7's $147 million. Furious 7 (2015) was the final film in the series to star Paul Walker, who died in a tragic car crash in November 2013. Globally, Furious 7 launched to $397.7 million (it didn't open in China until a week later).

"This franchise is showing no sign of wear and tear," said Universal international distribution chief Duncan Clark. "Fate of the Furious is satisfying audiences on many different levels.

Added Universal domestic distribution president Nick Carpou: "Considering this is the second-highest opening domestically out of eight films speaks to the fact that people continue to be interested in the storyline."

Long heralded for its diverse cast, Furious 8 played to audiences of all ethnicities and nabbed an A CinemaScore. Domestically, Caucasians made up 41 percent of the audience, followed by Hispanics (26 percent), African-Americans (21) percent, Asians (11 percent) and Native American/Other (3 percent), according to comScore's exit polling service PostTrack. The pic skewed male at 58 percent, far more than the last film at 51 percent.

Gray is making his franchise debut after helming Straight Outta Compton for Universal. Fate of the Furious once again stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky and Kurt Russell. Newcomers include Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren and Scott Eastwood. The story follows a villainous superhacker (Theron) who turns Diesel's character against his crew.

The Fast and Furious movies have collectively grossed more than $3.9 billion globally. Furious 7 was far and away the biggest earner and the only installment to cross $1 billion on its way to finishing its worldwide run with $1.516 billion.

Fate of the Furious certainly spooked the competition; no other film opened against it nationwide.

At the specialty box office, The Lost City of Z did nicely for Amazon Studios and Bleecker Street, opening to $112,633 from four theaters in New York and Los Angeles for a location average of $28,158. The period adventure film, directed by James Gray and produced by Brad Pitt's Plan B, stars Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson and Sienna Miller.

Another limited offering was the animated film Spark: A Space Tail, which debuted to a miserable $100,000 from 365 theaters for Open Road and the filmmakers.

Back in the top 10, Fox and DreamWorks Animation's The Boss Baby placed No. 2 with $15.5 million for a domestic cume of $116.5 million and worldwide haul of $287.6 million. (Fox also celebrated Logan passing the $600 million mark globally over the weekend.) Disney's Beauty and the Beast held at No. 3 with $13.5 million for a domestic total of $454.7 million and $1.043 billion worldwide.

Sony's Smurfs: The Lost Village continued to remain obscured, falling a steep 51 percent in its second weekend to $6.5 million for $24.7 million in North America and $94.7 million globally. New Line and Village Roadshow's Going in Style has grossed almost as much domestically as Smurfs, earning $6.4 million in its second outing for a domestic total of $23.4 million and $35.1 million worldwide.

The tenpole will mark the biggest opening ever for a movie directed by a female; it is also the first time the marquee female superhero has gotten her own big-screen feature.

Director Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman is making history at the North American box office after earning $38.9 million on Friday, its first day in theaters.

The Warner Bros. movie, starring Gal Gadot as the marquee superhero, is now headed for a weekend debut of $95 million or more from 4,165 theaters. That would mark the biggest opening of all time for a female director, supplanting Sam Taylor-Johnson's Fifty Shades of Grey, not adjusting for inflation. That film debuted to $93 million over the four-day Valentine's Day/Presidents Day weekend in 2015, including a three-day haul of $85 million. (Wonder Woman has already scored the biggest opening day ever for a woman director).

Wonder Woman is skewing female, whereas most superhero films draw an audience that's at a least 60 percent male. Female ticket buyers on Friday made up 54 percent of the audience, according to comScore's exit polling service, while Warners put that number at 52 percent. Males 25 and younger made up the smallest piece of the pie (12 percent), while females and males over 25 weren't that far apart, or 37 percent and 34 percent, respectively, according to comScore.

The summer tentpole is prospering thanks to a rapturous reviews and an A CinemaCore.

Overseas, Wonder Woman is opening in almost every major market. The film's early foreign gross through Friday is $47.1 million from 55 markets, including a $11.7 million from China. It is doing big business in Imax theaters around the globe, including $3.7 million on Friday in North America.

Wonder Woman currently has a stellar 94 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes in a major win for Warners and DC Entertainment, whose Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) were largely snubbed by critics. The film, costing $150 million to make before a major marketing spend, also marks the first time Wonder Woman has received her own big-screen adaptation. (Gadot did appear in Dawn of Justice.)

The film opens as World War I pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) and his plane crash on Themyscira, the island of the Amazons, where the Princess Diana (Gadot) has been trained by her aunt, the great warrior Antiope (Robin Wright). Soon, Diana leaves the island to try and stop the war, marking the beginning of her transformation into Wonder Woman.

The weekend's other new offering, DreamWorks Animation's Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, is targeting younger tots and should place No. 2 with $25 million from 3,434 theaters after costing a modest $38 million to produce.

Based on the popular book series, Captain Underpants tells the tale of two fourth-grade troublemakers (voiced by Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch) who hypnotize their mean principal (Ed Helms) into thinking he's Captain Underpants, a hero from a comic book. The movie's characters also include Professor Pippy P. Poopypants (Nick Kroll) and a school snitch named Melvin Sneedly (Jordan Peele).

Among holdovers, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales looks to fall 65 percent in its second weekend to an estimated $22 million, the biggest drop for any film in the franchise. Overseas is a different matter, where the movie remains a potent player and could beat Wonder Woman in some markets.

Dead Men Tell No Tales will place No. 3, followed by fellow Disney release, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 with roughly $10 million.

Baywatch, which bombed in its U.S. debut last weekend, will round out the top five with an estimated $9 million.